Since antiquity, humans have been exploiting colour to enhance both our personal appearance and the world we live in. Dyed and printed textiles are a prime example, with a huge global colouration industry developing over the centuries.
However, the massive consumption of water and energy required by many finishing processes, as well as the toxicity of some chemicals, has increasingly caused grave concern to environmentalists and the wider public. Conversely, responding to these worries has been the catalyst for innovation among eco-responsible companies in the Swiss Textile Machinery Association.
Green-tech Denim Dyeing
Washing processes, solvents and dyes in manufacturing account for one-fifth of industrial water pollution, according to the `State of Fashion 2020´ report by consulting firm McKinsey.
But the Swiss finishing machinery companies need no such wake-up call. For years, many of them have been actively developing and launching innovations with environmental friendliness approach as a prime requisite. An example is research into dyeing process which work without hazardous chemicals. At ITMA 2019, green technology denim dyeing became a reality with Smart-Indigo, a Swiss innovation by Sedo Engineering, introduced at the show. The underlying breakthrough was the ability to industrialize the electrochemical process for reducing indigo, using only electricity. The dyestuff is produced by an electrochemical process, consuming considerably fewer resources than existing methods. The method uses only indigo pigments, caustic soda, water and electricity. In a fully automated system, clean dyestuff is produced, metered and fed directly to the dyebath. Smart-Indigo is the most sustainable way to dye denim for jeans.
Santashrink Re-uses the Exhaust Air
The finishing industry today demands machinery which meets ecological requirements at the same time as enabling mills to operate profitably. That was the motivation behind the development of ESC (Energy-Saving Chamber) under the Santex brand of Santex Rimar Group. By re-using exhaust air from the Santashrink dryer, ESC increases production capacity by 15-17% with the application of same amount of heating energy.
Santex Always Offers Energy Saving Options
Maximum performance at low energy use, for low residual shrinkage, soft hand feel and surface lustre is the goal of Santex machines. The specialized open-width fabric surface treatment systems always offer energy-saving options for sustainable production and low CO2 values.
“Offers New Opportunities to Suppliers”
Christian Lerch, Head of Global Sales and Marketing, Jakob Muller AG Frick, “At Jakob Muller, top-quality technical parameters go hand-in-hand with the necessity for environmentally friendly production in its innovative efforts. For example, its new washing module fulfils product and environmental needs, thanks to improved washing-off results with less energy and water consumption. It is important to the company that any dyeing processes use recycled water wherever possible. Water is the most critical resource in dyeing. Advanced as well as less-developed markets are forced to face this challenge, which offers innovative suppliers new opportunities in markets that were previously closed,” he said.
Benninger Only Gives the Required Amount of Water
The finishing equipment expert, Benninger measures the pollution levels during the washing process and solves a crucial environmental problem in one of its latest developments. A sensor automatically gauges the level of pollutant, so that only the required amount of water is fed into the wash chamber, ensuring minimum use of both water and energy, and high reproducibility of the washing result. This is part of Benninger’s commitment to investing in resource-saving technology, offering recovery processes for heat, wastewater and chemical leaching.
Mathis Puts Forward the Importance of Quality Insurance
Producing laboratory and testing instruments, as well as customized production machinery, Mathis has a strong basis of expertise in the dyeing and coating sectors. The company understands the importance of quality assurance related to both performance and durability in fields such as sport and leisure. And equally vital point is the role of effective testing of product sustainability, as a key element in customer satisfaction.
“Targeting Sustainability Can Be More Than Just Lip Service”
As Benninger Group CEO Beat Meienberger says: “We have invested a great deal in resource management and our equipment offers valuable features to make this industry more sustainable. Solutions are customized, based on sophisticated technologies and showing high quality workflow for a long lifespan. Targeting sustainability can be more than just lip service – but it has its own price.”
